With a perfect 9-0 dual-meet record, the Red Bank Catholic High School girls swim team heads into the Monmouth County Championships this weekend looking for its 10th straight title.
The Caseys are coming off a very impressive 126-44 victory over Manasquan on Friday, as coach Matt Bowen’s team dominated throughout.
Julianna Cavano, Shannon Slate, Nicole Castellano and Alli Villane won the 200-medley relay with a time of 1:54.10. Shannon Slate, Karli Rymer, Shannon Belforti and Jillian Crosby combined to win the 200 freestyle relay in 1:46.72. Villane, Belforti, Crosby and Jackie VanLew took the 400 freestyle relay in 4:12.14
“We knew that would be a tough meet, but the girls were ready and it showed in the results,” Bowen said. “I think they’re peaking at the right time for the championships.”
Following the Monmouth County event, RBC will finish its regular season with dual meets against Rumson-Fair Haven, Middletown North, Neptune and Red Bank Regional. Then the Caseys will head to the Shore Conference championships, where they will be looking for their seventh straight crown.
With a veteran lineup infused with several solid freshmen, RBC has been solid throughout the campaign, downing quality opponents such as Monsignor Donovan, Colts Neck and Marlboro.
The Caseys have strong senior leadership with Slate, Castellano, Julia DelMero and Katie Connors onboard. In addition to their relay work, Slate competes in the breaststroke and Castellano does sprint freestyle events. DelMero and Connors handle the distance freestyle events. Cavano, Crosby and Mary Sharp are all juniors, and Bowen uses them in several events. Cavano competes in the backstroke and butterfly; Crosby, who is healthy this winter after battling a back injury a year ago, has made an impact in a variety of freestyle events; and Sharp competes in the individual medley.
Rymer and Belforti both had excellent freshman seasons and are making an even bigger impact this time around.
“We don’t usually win championship meets with a lot of first-place finishes; we win because of our depth, which enables us to pick up points for fourth, fifth and sixth place,” Bowen said. “I think things will be different this year. We have a lot of girls who are capable of winning.”
VanLew and two other freshmen, twins Morgan and Corey
Belforti, have been impressive as well. All three compete in freestyle events. VanLew also handles the 100 backstroke, while the Belforti twins provide depth in the individual medley (IM).
While RBC’s girls have continued to win, the Caseys’ boys team, which graduated several starters, is struggling with just two wins and a tie in nine meets.
Nevertheless, Bowen said the boys squad has plenty of young talent and a bright future with the likes of sophomore J.R. Shields and freshmen Nick Markwell and Danny Shields in the lineup. All three compete in freestyle events, but are versatile, and Bowen uses them in other events as needed. Seniors Riley Flanagan, a breaststroke and IM competitor, and Mike Schissler, who also competes in the breaststroke, are having good seasons and providing leadership, the coach said.
“We’re rebuilding the boys team, and they’re holding their own,” the coach said. “We do have a lot of talent, and they’re all working hard and getting better.”